Mothers’ Day is celebrated on different days in different parts and by different religions of the world. However, the 2nd Sunday of the month of May is the International Mothers’ Day as envisioned by an American, Anna Jarvis, in 1908. It is a day to honour mothers around the world for their contributions to the family and society. Indeed, mothers should be celebrated on daily basis. Women are at the centre of most human activities, inclusive of giving birth to (new) babies almost every second across the globe. Without them, the entire world would screech to a halt.
As we observe this annual ritual, there is the need to go beyond honouring our mothers with gifts, cards, flowers or sweet text messages. Governments, individuals and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) the world over must focus on the plight of mothers, especially in Third World countries.
Statistics have shown that in poor countries, a woman dies every minute during childbirth. Childbearing, weaning children and training them are the most important duties of mothers. It is most unfortunate that those who run a country like Nigeria, which is blessed with oil wealth, are not doing enough for our vulnerable women and children. Th ey have or once had mothers who cared for them when they were still children. And so, the plight of mothers and children ought to be among their topmost priorities, more so that there are mothers and grandmothers in government these days. Good mothers have a duty to protect other mothers from suffering and premature death.
There is need for governments, NGOs and wealthy individuals to put healthcare facilities in place and make adequate medical care accessible to mothers to reduce the high maternal mortality rate. Many mothers cannot afford the high cost of medical care in the poor countries. Mothers who are being celebrated annually must also strive to be the best they can, appraising their responsibilities paripassu with the expectations of the societies they live in. A good mother should not let her daughter get married before she attains adulthood.
Complications of pregnancy like Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) are common in places where marriage of minors is encouraged. Early motherhood also aff ects a woman’s education and development. Moreover, mothers need to avail themselves of the various family planning methods to reduce the number of children they have. This is because every pregnancy puts a woman’s life at risk. And with the dwindling resources, growing population and bad governments, it pays to apply wisdom in childbearing.
Though mothers love and care for their children, it is painful to watch one’s children crying or dying for lack of food and other basic necessities of life. For decades now, the fashion among rich Nigerian mothers has been to jet out overseas to be delivered of their babies so that they can get American or British citizenship. This is unfortunate. Such mothers who trade the roots of their children to foreign identities cannot be described as the best mothers. It is, however, sad to note that most families in this country are undergoing all manner of crises.
Th ey range from domestic violence, child abuse to separation arising from failed marriages among others. Most mothers have little or no time for their critical roles in bringing up responsible kids.
They have abdicated their roles to domestic servants while in pursuit of money and other good things of life. Consequently, most kids grow up without the needed parental care and guidance. The hiatus is a forerunner to criminality and other social vices that the kids grow up to engage in. The greater challenge is before all mothers in government – politicians, civil servants and even first ladies. Good policies and programmes aimed at making the world a better place for women are the most precious rewards that they desire.
To all mothers in government, the perfect gift they can give to other mothers on such an occasion would be good policies and programmes aimed at insulating any woman from any form of societal abuse, social injustice and inequality. As we look forward to more celebrations of the event in the coming years, it is hoped that the narratives would change for the better. We owe ourselves and the generations unborn that duty
